Happy New Year’s Eve, friends!
I have lots to be grateful for including you. Thank you for the challenge of delving deeper into the world that I love. I have learned so much about theatre beyond Broadway that my resolution list is going to be expensive. That’s exciting! From Edinburgh to Malaysia to Russia to back home, it’s all been very rewarding. Especially since I married into a theatre family.
Lucky me as my father-in-law, Michael McDonald kept all his textbooks and plays. They became my library. As I poured over his books “downstate” (NYC), he directed and performed in local theater in upstate New York. I had the opportunity to see him play Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and he was wonderful. As you can imagine, there has been many insightful and passionate conversations about theater. Since he just closed two shows back-to-back, Letters to Santa and The Female Odd Couple, I figured he was in the right frame of mind to answer some questions.
1. Since you’ve done extensive theatre down here, what are the differences you’ve noticed over the last decade or so?
I have been involved in Community Theatre up here in Greene County, NY since 1994. There are several theatre companies in Greene and several more right across the Hudson River to the east in Columbia County. There are many more companies just to the north in Albany County which is a whole other topic (they get National Touring companies up there).
On a far more meager level, here in Greene we tend to produce the good old standards (both musicals and non musicals), as well as some concerts by the singers. Some companies are more edgier than others (e.g., One group likes to do old chestnuts like Annie, Forum, Anything Goes, Arsenic and Old Lace; while another company might do J.B., Uncle Vanya and Vanities). I am not aware of anyone doing brand new material (unless you count doing a series of theme-related songs tied together by a paper thin story line…we in Greene County sometimes present our own musicals via a pre-Rogers and Hammerstein format).
2. Do theatre companies take risks by producing newer plays or do they tend to produce the classics?
The audiences up here like the old standards, and I’m not sure that they would be willing to take a chance on new or edgier material.
3. You just did two shows back to back. What were the audiences like for those performances?
The audiences in this area are for the most part usually friends of the cast (which may be why we have been doing a number of recent productions using lots of kids), and enjoy an evening or matinee hoping to be entertained.
Good, bad or indifferent, the most important thing in my opinion is that we bring live theatre to these folks, who otherwise would not see it.
Agreed! Plus, there are many theatres in the Albany area that offer audiences a multitude of choices. Below are a few to check out if you live in the area or even just visiting.
Have a happy holiday season and see you in 2015!
Live, Love, Learn,
Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany, NY
Capital Repertory Theatre (theREP) is Albany’s first and only professional resident theatre. With a wide variety of well-known and world premiere musicals and plays, it’s safe to say what you experience at theREP cannot be duplicated anywhere else!
The Glimmerglass Festival, Cooperstown, NY
The Glimmerglass Festival presents new and innovative productions of opera and musical theater every summer in Cooperstown, New York.
Mac-Haydn Theatre, Chatham, NY
Since 1969, The Mac-Haydn Theatre has been bringing musicals to life in a unique, intimate, charming 350-seat theatre-in-the-round, where every seat is less than 30 feet from the stage!
The Mop & Bucket Theatre Co., Schenectady, NY
Improvisers make up scenes, stories and song on-the-spot, often based on audience suggestions.
Palace Performing Arts Center, Inc., Albany, NY
The Palace Theatre is one very notable cornerstone in Albany’s growing downtown entertainment destinations. A concert & theatrical entertainment facility in the heart of Albany, New York , it first opened its doors in October 1931.
Park Playhouse, Inc., Albany, NY
Founded in 1989, Park Playhouse has been producing free, outdoor summer theatre in Albany’s Washington Park for over 21 years.
Proctors, Schenectady, NY
What began as a Vaudeville theatre in the early 20th century is now the Capital Region’s destination for major Broadway shows, cutting-edge film festivals, exciting special events, and everything in
Sand Lake Center for the Arts, Averill Park, NY
The Center is a renovated Church built in 1835, still with its original stained-glass windows. It hosts several activities such as theatre productions, art exhibits, children’s activities, concerts, and more. Also has available rent space.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
SPAC hosts the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra in an acoustically ideal amphitheatre in the heart of Spa State Park; presents superior chamber music, jazz, rock and pop concerts, opera, and Saratoga Wine & Food Festival; and oversees the National Museum of Dance.